Rabbitohs faithful dreaming of first premiership in 43 years

You can tell footy finals fever has struck when fans roll up to training en masse, as they did for the South Sydney Rabbitohs this morning.

The captain who took them to their last preliminary final in 1989 is Bunnies legend Mario Fenech, who grew up so close to the ground he could smell the liniment from the change rooms.

And he will be cheering with the club faithful when the Rabbitohs play arch-rivals Sydney Roosters in a grand final qualifier on Friday night.

“The Roosters and Rabbitohs, it doesn’t matter what happens,” he told 9NEWS.

“It’s a rivalry that spans the test of time.”

The last time the Rabbitohs won the premiership was in 1971, but it’s a memory that’s fading fast and fans want some new ones.

After the Bunnies crashed out of the finals in the past two years, some fear time is running out, with boom forward Sam Burgess set to make a switch to rugby union next year.